How To Easily Control TV With Amazon Alexa?

When you start controlling your TV with Voice commands through Alexa digital Assistant, it will feel like magic. You don’t need to thumb on menus anymore, everything can be controlled using your voice.

If you want to use Alexa in place of TV remote, then you have to do simple setup and need to know-how. You can’t control the functioning of TV and sound system directly through Alexa until and unless the respective device of some equipment for the same is connected.

To clear all confusion, we are going to let you know the things which Alexa can do on your TV and what it can’t do. We are going to discuss how this setup can be commenced.

Apart from First generation Fire TV stick, all other models of Fire TV support Alexa remote which means you can use voice commands for these devices without any problem. There’s a mic engrossed on the remote with the help of which you can speak to Alexa and get an instant reply. For hands-free voice commands, you need a device like Echo speakers or Fire Cube. These devices have built-in speakers and Microphone and will pick your voice from distance.

The pairing will be done automatically between your fire TV and Echo if you are using only a single Fire TV device. Just try to use a TV-related command like, watch Mozart on Prime. You will soon get the same on the screen. In case, you are having more than one Fire TV, then it requires additional steps.

Open Alexa app on your smartphone and click on ‘Menu’ button from the top left corner. You are required to select one section out of music, video, and books.

Tap Fire TV from the ‘Video’ section.

Under ‘Manage devices’ you will find a ‘Link another’ TV link.

Select the fire TV you want to control.

If you are having more than Alexa device, then you have to select a particular device through which you want to control your Fire TV.

Commands you can try:

Your TV is now hooked to Alexa. Start using it by keeping in mind that this app will not work with any other app. The Alexa app currently supports Bravo Now, CBS, Freeform, Showtime Anytime, ESPN, and PlayStation Vue, Hulu, and Netflix. You can request Alexa for playing any particular show or movie from these apps.

Alexa plays Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Alexa Play Brooklyn on Hulu

Alexa open ESPN on PlayStation Vue.

If you want, you can control the playback commands as well. Some of them are:

Play, Pause and stop.

Rewind, Rewind 3 minutes.

Alexa, please play the next episode. Unfortunately, you can only play next or upcoming episode but not previous or already broadcasted one.

Fire TV also supports online searching through Voice commands. To make searching more concise and proper, you have to use the Fire TV cube. You can go through results without the remote. You can use any of below mentioned commands on Alexa.

Alexa Play ‘James Bond’ movie.

Alexa Open ‘Comedy’ shows on Hulu.

Alexa search for ‘Sci-fi’ show on Netflix.

At last, to go to the Home screen, you have to speak to Alexa, ‘Go home’. You will be returned to the home screen.